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It will live there, some would say in infamy, on the ninth page of this season's Alouettes media guide — the full-page colour photo of a very serious-looking Troy Smith, clutching a football, dressed in full uniform, standing on the 30-yard line.

OTTAWA - It was, arguably, an odd choice and destination. Given that four Canadian Football League teams were interested in his services recently when he became a free agent, linebacker Damaso Munoz decided on the expansion Ottawa Redblacks. While the Redblacks offered the most-lucrative contract, Munoz admitted, the team has lost 10 of 11 games during its maiden CFL voyage. But the 5-foot-11, 220-pounder was familiar with head coach Rick Campbell and defensive co-ordinator Mark Nelson from his time in Edmonton.

OTTAWA — Of course, it’s far too early in his career to compare Jonathan Crompton to legendary quarterback Anthony Calvillo. Calvillo reached a point in his career with Montreal, and not particularly long into the process, where he knew he was the Alouettes’ starter, no questions asked. Crompton, on the other hand, won’t assume anything — especially not after only four starts. Even if three of those games ended in victories.

On the day the Alouettes announced the upcoming retirement of Anthony Calvillo’s jersey number, the quarterback everyone thought would be his replacement wore a tuque at practice, did plenty of watching and threw sparingly.

Might this be the opportune occasion to remind everyone the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday were missing their starting quarterback, Bo Levi Mitchell, who has thrown for more than 2,500 yards and 17 touchdowns ... a guy who, quite simply, just wins baby?

WITH VIDEO: It was a defensive collapse of monumental proportions — not as great as Toronto squandering a 29-3 second-quarter lead against Calgary — but staggering nonetheless. The Alouettes were leading Edmonton 16-12 early in the fourth quarter before the Eskimos erupted for three successive touchdowns in slightly less than 11 minutes.

An improbable second-half comeback by the Alouettes — a team that has struggled to score points this season — carried Montreal to a 38-31 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats Sunday afternoon before 20,551 Molson Stadium spectators.

The league has blanket-covered the nation with 100th Grey Cup advertising, a cross-country train journey, commemorative stamps ... They have pushed every button imaginable short of telling Torontonians it's their duty as Canadians to board the bandwagon.

The words come out of Victor Anderson’s mouth, effortlessly and without reluctance or malice, as easily as he breathes. As though it’s almost therapeutic for him to discuss the incredible life he has experienced. His mother was a drug addict. His father a drug dealer.

An Edmonton Eskimos player previously charged with kidnapping and assaulting a 20-year-old man now faces several firearms charges. In late November, Adam Braidwood, 26, and two other men were charged with cutting a man and locking him inside the trunk of a car. One of Braidwood’s co-accused also faces charges of trafficking cocaine.

Anthony Calvillo took all the practice reps with the Alouettes’ starting offence on Wednesday — an indication he’s ready to return from the bruised sternum and rib injury that has sidelined him since Aug. 19.

Let the second guessing begin. The Alouettes surprised some last weekend, when they selected Kristian Matte with their first-round selection (seventh overall) in the Canadian college draft. The Concordia offensive lineman has been signed by the NFL’s Houston Texans.

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